PA: Israel wants Gaza’s electricity crisis to continue

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority claimed on Wednesday that the “Israeli occupation” is the reason behind the Gaza electricity crisis. According to him, Hamas came into power in Gaza because of Israel.

A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the electricity crisis in Gaza an internal Palestinian matter, a Palestinian Authority official rejected his claim. “The division of the Palestinian society is the interest of the Israeli occupation’s government,” PA spokesperson Yusuf al-Mahmoudi told the Ma’an News Agency.

“Netanyahu’s description of the crisis as an internal Palestinian matter does not exempt his government from [its] responsibility,” he said. “The reason behind the crisis is the Israeli occupation and the blockade of Gaza that has been in place for over 10 years.” Al-Mahmoudi added that the “Israeli occupation” led to Hamas obtaining control over the Gaza Strip.

Robert Piper, the UN coordinator for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, issued a statement warning about the deteriorating situation in Gaza. He called on the PA, Hamas and Israel “to put the welfare of Gaza’s residents first and to take the necessary measures to avoid further suffering.” He also warned: “If, as a result of the Palestinian Authority’s instructions, this decision [to reduce the power supply to Gaza] is implemented, the situation will become catastrophic. The reduction will bring most households and service-providers down to 2 hours or so of power per day.”